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Hundreds of addressed property tax documents returned to sheriff's office

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UPDATE: A senior Postal Manager visited the Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Department Friday morning and went through hundreds of property tax notices that were returned to sender and found only one that was deliverable.

The manager says they will return to the sheriff's office and volunteer to help the sheriff update the mailing list. USPS says it's committed to working with the sheriff's office and its customers to resolve the concerns.

The sheriff's office tells WBRZ it receives all of its addresses from the tax assessor.

DENHAM SPRINGS - The Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office says "hundreds" of property tax notices were returned to them by the post office. It says many of the envelopes are from the same area in Denham Springs.

One property owner contacted 2 On Your Side after she says this is the second year in a row she hasn't received her notice in the mail. Last year, it ended up costing her.

"We had late charges and penalties; I ended up paying $466," said Deven Cavalier.

Since her property taxes went unpaid in 2017, Cavalier had to redeem her property from the sheriff's office.

"When I asked the tax office why I didn't receive a notice, they said the notice was returned because of no mailbox," she said.

Thursday, 2 On Your Side visited Cavalier's home and successfully located her mailbox. She says the mailbox has been there for years.

This year, she waited for her property tax notice to come in the mail and when it didn't turn up she called the parish tax office.

"Wondering what was going on I called Livingston Parish tax office and they told me that it was returned to them," she said.

It turns out Cavalier isn't alone. The Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office says of the 57,420 property tax notices mailed on November 19, 2018, hundreds have been returned to sender. The sheriff's office says the return notices belong to addresses where people have been living for years and this isn't the first time this has happened. A lot of notices were returned in 2016 following the flood, but the sheriff's office says this year surpasses that amount.

"I've had the address 38270, I've had that address for 16 years," said Cavalier.

The United States Postal Service says it will send a representative to the sheriff's office first thing Friday morning to take a look at the returned mail.

If you did not get your property tax notice in the mail, call the Livingston Parish tax office at 225-686-2241 or visit the sheriff's office website.